Smart animal collar system

ABSTRACT

A pet-monitoring system including at least one of a wearable component, base station and user device. The system utilizes data collected from each of these components as well as the state of any connections between the devices to: (i) make various determinations about the pet&#39;s health and environment; (ii) notify the user of substantial changes in the pet&#39;s health and environment; (iii) determine how to efficiently utilize communication, monitoring or interaction modules within the wearable component, base station and user device; and (iv) automate interactions with the pet using interaction modules within the wearable component, base station and user device.

Field

This patent document relates generally to the field of wearableelectronics, and, more particularly, to a smart animal collar that usesa number of sensors, radios and interactive components to monitor andinteract with an animal.

Background

A number of wearable electronics have been designed for humans. Many ofthese “wearables” are focused on health and wellness. These fitnesswearables are typically in the form of a bracelet and are designed tocollect information from the user. These fitness wearables monitor theactivity and heart rate of the user using a gyroscope and/or heart ratesensor and transmit that data to the user.

Other wearables are focused on connectivity. These wearables aretypically in the form of a “smartwatch” and are designed to presentinformation from the user's smartphone to the user. These smartwatchesreceive notifications from the user's smartphone via Bluetooth or from aserver via Wi-Fi, alert the user with a sound or vibration and thenpresent that notification visually on a screen.

Still other wearables provide a measure of interactivity. For example,many of the more feature-packed smartwatches allow the user to answerphone calls using a built-in microphone and speaker. In another example,many of the more feature-packed smartwatches allow the user to inputinformation using their voice, hand gestures, a stylus or mechanicalcomponents on the watch. Many of these feature-packed smartwatches alsoincorporate the fitness components of provided by fitness wearables.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method andapparatus for monitoring an animal.

In one embodiment, the method comprises of the steps of: at least onemonitoring module for collecting data about an animal; at least onecommunication module for communicating the collected data with one of abase station, user device or network; a battery; and a processor thatdetermines whether the at least one communication module is connected toone of the base station, user device or network and, based on thatdetermination, determines the location of the animal relative to one ofthe base station and the user device.

In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises of: collecting data about ananimal using a wearable component; communicating the collected data withone of a base station, user device or network; and determining whetherthe wearable component is connected to one of the base station, userdevice or network and, based on said determination, determining thelocation of the animal relative to one of the base station and the userdevice.

In an alternate embodiment, the above method and apparatus include atleast one interaction module for interacting with the animal.

In another embodiment, the above method and apparatus include (aprocessor for) controlling which of the monitoring, communication and/orinteraction modules are enabled or disabled depending on the determinedrelative location. The enabling and disabling may conserve the battery'spower.

In yet another embodiment, the above method and apparatus include (aprocessor for) analyzing at least one of the collected data and thedetermined relative location and comparing the analyzed information toat least one of a predefined threshold or logic combination.

In a further embodiment, the above method and apparatus include (aprocessor for) notifying the user of an event correlated with thepredefined threshold or logic combination.

In another embodiment, the above method and apparatus include (aprocessor for) providing feedback based on the collected data and atleast one of the age, breed, body type, size or gender of the animal.

In another alternate embodiment, the above method and apparatus include(a processor for) determining whether the at least one communicationmodule is connected to one of at least two user devices correlated withindividual profiles and, if so, correlating the collected data with theprofile of the connected user device.

In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: collectingdata about an animal using a wearable component; communicating thecollected data with at least two user devices; and determining whetherthe wearable component is connected to the at least two user devices andattributing the collected data to a profile corresponding to theconnected user device.

In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises of: at least onemonitoring module for collecting data about an animal; at least onecommunication module for connecting to at least two user devices; and aprocessor that determines whether the at least one communication moduleis connected to the at least two user devices and attributes thecollected data to a profile corresponding to the connected user device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the presentspecification, illustrate various embodiments described herein. Thedrawings are not drawn to scale, but rather are intended to provide ageneralized description of the concepts underlying the particularillustrative embodiments thereof. For ease, the drawings use numerals torefer to specific components illustrated therein, with the same numeralsused across the figures to illustrate the same or similar componentsacross the figures.

When taken together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, these drawings serve to explain andteach the principles described herein. However, it should be understoodthat the drawings herein do not illustrate every embodiment described inthe detailed description nor do they accurately illustrate the fullscope of the claims herein.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a dog-collar embodiment of the wearablecomponent of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates the modules within anembodiment the wearable component.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the base station component.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the base stationcomponent.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates the modules within anembodiment of the base station component.

FIG. 6 is a communication diagram that illustrates the potential typesof communications that are enabled by the various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of that illustrates how embodiments of thewearable component of the present invention may interact with the basestation component.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of that illustrates how embodiments of thewearable component of the present invention may interact with the basestation component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments described herein are systems for monitoring andinteracting with animals (preferably domesticated pets). The underlyingconcepts and particular embodiments are disclosed herein. These conceptsmay be used independently or in conjunction with one another to create aparticular pet system. Certain particular embodiments are illustrated inthe drawings and are described in the detailed description herein. Inaddition, the detailed description describes features that may not beillustrated in the drawings. These embodiments are intended to conveythe concepts of the embodiments described herein and potentialembodiments thereof and are not intended to limit the scope of theclaims to the specific embodiments disclosed herein.

The pet-monitoring system described herein may comprise of a number ofcomponents. The system may include a wearable component for the pet. Thewearable component will include both electronic components and housingcomponents for attaching the wearable to the pet. The system may alsoinclude a base station. The base station may be stationary or portableand will also include both electronic and housing components and, in apreferred embodiment, will act as a charging station for the wearablecomponent. These components may communicate with each other and with auser device.

As described above and herein, the wearable component described hereinmay be affixed to an animal. The wearable component may also be affixedto many different animals in many different ways, such as a collar, anankle bracelet or a hair pin. FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of adog-collar embodiment of an embodiment of the wearable component.

The dog-collar 20 includes a strap 2 that can be placed around the neckof a dog. The strap 2 is preferably adjustable. Attached to the strap 2are a flexible face 12 and carrier housing 10 that interface with themodule housing 14 that contains the electronic components of the petwearable (as will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2).

For example, as illustrated, two rings 4 and 6 may loop both theflexible face 12 and the strap 2 together. One or more of the loops 4and 6 may include a tag with engraved information about the pet, such asa name and contact information for the owner. The flexible face 12 ispreferable made out of leather and maintains the carrier housing 10between it and the strap 2. The face 12 has a cutout that matches adepression in the carrier housing 10; the shape of the cutout anddepression correspond to the shape of module housing 14.

The electronic components 30 of the pet wearable are maintained withinthe module housing 14. The module housing 14 includes a light lens 16 onits face. The light lens 16 may allow the user to see visualnotifications from the electronic components 30 within the modulehousing 14, such as a colored light that indicates different informationabout the dog. The light lens 6 may also allow brighter light to shinethrough the module housing 14 to illuminate the area in front of the dogin the dark. The module housing 14 also includes an insert 18, with acutout for light lens 16, which is preferably made out of leather andcovers the exterior face of the module housing 14.

The module housing 14 interfaces with the carrier housing 10 to affixthe electronic components 30 of the pet wearable to the pet. The modulehousing 14 is of a shape that fits within the depression of carrierhousing 10. A locking mechanism (e.g., a pin or tab based lock) keepsthe module housing 14 within the carrier housing 10. The carrier housing10 includes a release button 8 that is operable by a user to remove themodule housing 14 from the carrier housing 10.

One benefit of having module housing 14 and the electronic components 30within be detachable from carrier housing 10 is that it allows a user todetach the electronic components 30 from the collar for easy chargingwithout having to remove the collar from the dog. Thus, the user canstill walk the dog and connect a leash to either loop 4 or 6 while theelectronic components 30 charge. Also, in the event the dog runs away,the identification tag on a loop 4 or 6 of the collar can still be usedto identify the pet and facilitate its return.

In alternative embodiments, the electronic components 30 may bepermanently affixed to a portion of the collar or built into the collarby distributing the components along the length of the collar 20.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates the modules within thewearable component of an embodiment of the wearable. As described withreference to FIG. 1, the module housing 14 houses the electroniccomponents 30 of the wearable component 20. The electronic components 30includes a number of modules, some electronic and some mechanical. Afirst category of modules are communication modules 22. The wearablecomponent 20 may communicate with a number of external devices and thusincludes a number of communication modules 22 to facilitate suchcommunication. For example, the electronic components 30 may include: aGPS module 22 a for communication with a GPS receiver/satellite; acellular module 22 b for communication with a mobile voice or datanetwork; a Bluetooth module 22 c for communication with one or more of abase station or user device; and a Wi-Fi module 22 d for communicationwith one or more of a base station or user device.

A second category of modules are monitoring modules 24. The wearablecomponent 20 may monitor the pet to gain a number of different metricsor data points that can be used to monitor the health, location orwellness of the pet and thus includes a number of monitoring modules 24to facilitate such monitoring. For example, the electronic components 30may include: a thermometer 24 a to monitor the external temperaturearound the dog; a thermometer 24 b to monitor the skin temperature ofthe dog; an accelerometer 24 c to monitor the physical activity of thepet over time; a heart rate sensor 24 d to monitor the physical activityof the dog; a moisture sensor 24 e to monitor the humidity in the dog'senvironment; and a magnetometer 24 f to monitor whether the dog is inproximity of an electric fence.

A third category of modules are interaction modules 26. The wearablecomponent electronics 20 may allow a user to interact with their pet.Such interaction may be in real-time or automated. Thus, electroniccomponents 30 includes a number of interaction modules 26 to facilitatesuch interaction. For example, the wearable component electronics 30 mayinclude: a speaker 26 a that can reproduce sound in the audible spectrumand allows the user to transmit audible commands to the pet (e.g.,“sit”) in both real-time and automatically in response to certaindetected pet behavior; a tonal speaker 26 b that can be used toreproduce clicks that are commonly used to train dogs; an ultrasonicspeaker 26 c that can reproduce sound that is inaudible to humans butwithin the audible spectrum for dogs; a vibrational motor 26 d that canbe used to train the dog; and lights 26 e that can be used to eitherilluminate the area around the dog, communicate information to the uservia blinking or colored lights, or to train the dog. In embodiments thatare built for other pets, different interaction modules may beappropriate. For example, a wearable component 20 designed for cats mayinclude a laser module 26 f as an electronic component 30 that can beused to play with the cat or direct the cat to a specific location.

The wearable component 20 may also include a battery 28. In a preferredembodiment battery 28 is fixed and rechargeable. However, there may beapplication in which removable batteries 28 may be preferred.

It should be understood that, although not illustrated, the wearablecomponent 20 may also include a processor, memory or display device.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of base station component 40. The basestation may be powered, e.g., receive electrical current, via a wire ormay be powered using a battery. When powered via wire, the base stationcomponent 40 may act as a charging base for the wearable component 30within housing module 14.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the base stationcomponent 40. The base station 40 includes a base 38. Base 38 ispreferably textured at the bottom so that it will retain its location ona surface. Connected to base 38 is body 36. Body 36 houses theelectronic components 50 of base station 40 that will be described inmore detail in reference to FIG. 5. Atop body 36 is cap 34. Cap 34includes contact points that allow that electronic components 50 withinthe body 36 to communicate with or charge wearable component 20 when itis connected. Atop cap 34 is antenna 32. Antenna 32 is preferablyconnected to the electronic components 50 within body 36 and facilitatescommunication.

Cap 34 and antenna 32 may include either a light lens or cutout so thatlight from the electronic components 50 can be seen outside the basestation. Such light may be used to transmit information to the user viacolors or patterns or may be used to light the area around the basestation.

In other embodiments, the base station may be combined with otherelectronic components. In one such embodiment the base station 40 iscombined with other communication devices such as a Wi-Fi router or homeautomation hub. In another such embodiment the base station 40 iscombined with other pet-focused devices such as an electronic fooddispenser, water fountain or litter box.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates the electronic modules withinan embodiment of the base station component 40. As indicated inreference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the base station component 40 includeselectronic components 50. These electronic components include a numberof modules. A first category of modules are communication modules 42.The base station 40 may communicate with a number of external devicesand thus includes a number of communication modules 42 to facilitatesuch communication. For example, the base station 40 may include: acellular module 42 a for communication with a mobile voice or datanetwork; a Bluetooth module 42 b for communication with one or more of awearable component 20 or user device; and a Wi-Fi module 42 c forcommunication with one or more of a wearable component 20 or userdevice.

A second category of modules are monitoring modules 44. The base station40 may monitor a number of environmental metrics. For example, the basestation 40 may include: a thermometer 44 a to monitor the externaltemperature in the room; a moisture sensor 44 b to monitor the humidityin the room; a motion sensor 44 c; an air quality sensor 44 d; and amicrophone 44 e to monitor for audible activity, such as an accident orwhether the dog is barking.

A third category of modules are interaction modules 46. The base station40 may allow a user to interact with their pet. Such interaction may bein real-time or automated. Thus, the base station 40 includes a numberof interaction modules 46 to facilitate such interaction. For example,the base station 40 may include: a speaker 46 a that can reproduce soundin the audible spectrum and allows the user to transmit audible commandsto the pet (e.g., “sit”) in both real-time and automatically in responseto certain detected pet behavior; a tonal speaker 46 b that can be usedto reproduce clicks that are commonly used to train dogs; an ultrasonicspeaker 46 c that can reproduce sound that is inaudible to humans butwithin the audible spectrum for dogs; and lights 46 d that can be usedto either illuminate the area around the dog, communicate information tothe user via blinking or colored lights, or to train the dog. Inembodiments that are built for other pets, different interaction modulesmay be appropriate. For example, a base station 40 designed for cats mayinclude a laser module 46 e that can be used to play with the cat ordirect the cat to a specific location.

A fourth category of modules are charging and power modules 48. The basestation 40 may be powered via a physical wire 48 a to a socket connectedto the power grid or via a battery 48 b that is either rechargeable orreplaceable.

It should be understood that, although not illustrated, the base station40 may also include a processor, memory or display device.

FIG. 6 is a communication diagram that illustrates the potential typesof communications that are enabled by the embodiments described herein.As described with reference to FIG. 2, the wearable component 20includes a number of communication modules 22. These modules allow thewearable component 20 to communicate with: the base station 40 using,preferably, a low energy radio such as Bluetooth LE; a user device 52(such as a smart clip, smart tag, smart bracelet, smartwatch,smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop) using, preferably, a low energyradio such as Bluetooth LE; cellular towers 54 using, preferably,cellular radio to triangulate position (e.g., Assisted-GPS); GPSsatellites 56; Wi-Fi access points 58 to triangulate position (e.g.,Wi-Fi positioning system); a server 60 using, either cellular data, SMStext messaging, or Wi-Fi.

FIG. 7 is a state diagram that illustrates how embodiments of thewearable component may interact with base station component 40. In thisexample, the wearable component 20, base station 40 and user devices 52are all used to determine the state of whether the dog and owner aretogether 102, the dog is home alone 104 or the dog is away alone 106.

The process begins upon powering on the wearable component 20 in state100. The wearable component 20 looks for the base station 40 and for auser device 52. In a preferred embodiment, the wearable component 20looks for other components by either pinging for them or trying toestablish a communication connection with those components (e.g., viaBluetooth or Bluetooth LE). In one alternate embodiment, the wearablecomponent 20 may look for other components by sending out a global pingthat can be responded to from any available components within range. Inanother alternate embodiment, the wearable component 20 may surveywhether components within their range are broadcasting (e.g., Wi-Fi).

If the wearable component 20 is able to detect/connect with the userdevice 52, then the system knows that both the owner and pet aretogether (e.g., home or elsewhere) and can configure itself to state102. If the wearable component 20 is able to detect/connect to the basestation 40 but not to the user device 52, then the system knows that thepet is home (or wherever the base station is located) alone, without itsowner, and can configure itself to state 104. If the wearable component20 cannot detect/connect with either the base station 40 or the userdevice 52, then the system knows that the dog is away alone and canconfigure itself to state 106. In other implementations a fourth statemay be determined based on whether the wearable component's 20 candetect/connect with both the base station 40 and the user device 52. Ifthe wearable component 20 is able to detect/connect to both the basestation 40 and the user device 52, then the system knows that both thedog and the user are home.

The above process runs continuously. Thus, while the owner may be homewith the dog when initializing and powering up the wearable component 20(state 102), when the owner leaves the home, the wearable component willlose its connection with the user device 52 and the system will movefrom state 102 to state 104. Similarly, when the owner comes home, thewearable component 20 will regain its connection with the user device 52and the system will move from state 104 to state 102. Should the dog runaway from the home while the owner is away from home, the wearablecomponent 20 will lose its connection with the base station 40 and thesystem will move from state 104 to state 106. Should the dog run awayfrom home while the owner is home, the wearable component 30 will loseits connection with both the base station 40 and the user device 52 andthe system will move from state 102 to state 106.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of that illustrates how embodiments of thewearable component may interact with the base station component 40.Similar to FIG. 7, in this example the wearable component 20, basestation 40 and user devices 52 are all used to determine the state ofwhether the dog and owner are together 206, the dog is home alone 214 orthe dog is away alone 220.

The process begins by entering determine state step 200. To determinestate the wearable component 20 switches to peripheral mode and seeksout a connection with the user device 52 in step 202. The wearablecomponent 20 then determines if it was able to connect with the userdevice 52 in step 204. If the wearable component 20 was able to connectto user device 52, it sets the together state in step 206 and stays theyuntil it loses a connection with user device 52. When the wearablecomponent 20 loses its connection with the user device 52 in step 208the wearable component once again enters determine state step 200.

If the wearable component 20 was not able to connect to user device 52in step 204 then the wearable component 20 switches to a central modeand scans for beacons such as that in base station 40 in step 210. Thewearable component 20 then determines if it was able to connect with thebase station 40 in step 212. If the wearable component 20 was able toconnect with the base station 40, it sets the alone home state in step214. If the wearable component 20 was not able to connect with the basestation 40 in step 212, it sets the alone away state in step 220.

Once set to either the alone away state in step 220 or the alone homestate in step 214 the wearable component 20 continuously checks for astate change in step 216. If there is no state change, then the wearablecomponent 20 reenters determine state step 200 and continuously monitorsfor the user device 52. If there is a state change (the wearablecomponent 20 either gains or loses a connection with the base station40), then wearable component 20 notifies the server 60 in step 218 andreenters determine state step 200.

Although not illustrated, a purpose of the system is to efficiently usethe physical electronics of the wearable component 20, the base station40 and the user device 52 by determining the states indicated in FIG. 7.

For example, when the wearable component 20 is connected to the userdevice 52 and enters together state 206, the cellular, the Wi-Fi and GPSradios may be disabled and the Bluetooth (low energy) radio may beenabled. When the wearable component 20 is connected to the base station40 and enters home state 214, the Wi-Fi and GPS radios may be disabledand the cellular and Bluetooth (low energy) radios may be enabled. Whenthe wearable component is not connected to either the base station 40 orthe user device 52 and enters alone away state 220, the Wi-Fi, GPS,cellular and Bluetooth (low energy) radios may be enabled.

To illustrate, as described in reference to FIG. 2, the wearablecomponent 20 can include a GPS radio as one of its communication modules22. If the system were designed to track the location of the pet overtime, regardless of the state, then the system can minimize the use ofthe GPS radio in the wearable component 20 and its associated drain onthe battery 28 by taking advantage of both the state information and theuser device 52: when the wearable component 20 is connected to the basestation 40 and enters home state 214, it will log the dog's GPS locationas that of the base station (e.g., home); when the wearable component 20is connected to the user device 52 and enters together state 206, theprogram (or app) on the user device 52 will use its own locationinformation gathered through the use of its own GPS radio to log thelocation of the dog; and, consequently, only when the wearable componentis not connected to either the base station 40 or the user device 52 andenters alone away state 220, will it have to use its own Wi-Fi, GPS orcell radios to determine its own location.

In another example, the wearable component 20 can connect with multipleuser devices 52 in order to gain information about the dog anddistribute that information to all users. For instance, assume that thewearable component 20 is set up to connect with the user device of mom52 a, dad 52 b, daughter 52 c or son 52 d. If the dog is home then thewearable component 20 will be connected to base station 40 and will bein home alone state 214. When son comes home from school with their userdevice 52 d, the wearable component 20 will connect with device 52 d andthe system will move to together state 206. The system can then use anumber of metrics to infer if son has taken the dog on a walk: thesystem can monitor whether the dog's physical activity is high using anaccelerometer monitoring module 24; the system can use the GPS dataobtained by a program running on the user device 52 d; or the system canmonitor whether the wearable component 20 loses its connection to thebase station 40 but maintains its connection with user device 52 d. Ifthe dog is determined to have been walked, then the system can indicatethat the task was specifically performed by son and log that informationand/or notify mom and/or dad.

By connecting to multiple user devices 52, the system can also quantifyhow much time different users spend with the dog.

In yet another example, the wearable component 20 includes monitoringmodules 24 that collect information about the pet. The wearablecomponent 20 can be designed to store the monitored information locallyand to only transmit that information at certain times to conservebattery 28.

The wearable component 20 can be designed to only transmit monitoredinformation when already connecting to such devices to update its stateas described in FIGS. 7 and 8. In such an embodiment, when the wearablecomponent 20 connects with the user device 52 and enters together state206, it transmits its stored monitoring information to user device 52.But when the wearable component 20 connects with the base station 40 andenters alone home state 214, it transmits its stored monitoringinformation to the base station 40, which in turn transmits thatinformation to server 60, which further transmits that information touser device 52.

The wearable component 20 can also be designed to periodically transmitthe monitored information to an available device. In such an embodiment,the wearable component transmits monitored information on a periodictime interval and determines the destination based on its state: whenthe wearable component 20 is connected to the user device 52 and enterstogether state 206, it will send the monitored information to the userdevice at the next timed interval; when the wearable component 20 isconnected to the base station 40 and enters home state 214, it will sendthe monitored information to the base station 40 at the next timedinterval; and when the wearable component is not connected to either thebase station 40 or the user device 52 and enters alone away state 220,it will send the monitored information directed to the server 60 at thenext timed interval.

Another purpose of the system is to automate interactions based onconnection states or other input data. Such automation can be used tonotify the user of the pet's state and activity. For example, a user canbe notified via their device 52 or the base station 40 if: the pet runsaway from the vicinity of the owner (the wearable component 20 loses itsconnection with the user device 52); the pet runs away from the vicinityof the home (the wearable component 20 loses its connection with thebase station 40); the pet runs out of a pre-defined geographicallydefined region (e.g., geo-fence) (the wearable component determines thatthe GPS coordinate measured is outside of a pre-set region); theinformation monitored by the wearable component 20 indicates that thedog has had a period of high activity that is associated with the doghaving taken a walk; the information monitored by the wearable component20 indicates that the dog is in a particularly dangerous (e.g., cold,hot, or wet) environment; the information monitored by the wearablecomponent 20 indicates that the pet has a fever and is sick; or theinformation monitored by the wearable component 20 or by the basestation 40 indicates that there was a loud noise that warrants theuser's attention.

Such automation can also be used to train the pet. In a first example,many dog trainers use a clicking device to train dogs to respond to“clicks.” Thus, one of the interaction modules within the wearablecomponent 20 and/or the base station 40 may be a tonal speaker that canreproduce a similar clicking sound. If the dog is trained to return homein response to clicks, then if the dog runs away from the home and ownerand the system enters alone away state 220 then the wearable component20 can create a clicking sound to encourage the dog to return home. Theclicking sound can automatically cease when the dog is found by havingthe wearable component 20 cease clicking when it connects to either thebase station 40 and enters alone home state 214 or connects to the userdevice and enters together state 206. If the dog is trained to stopbarking in response to clicks or cease aggressive behavior, then ifthere is a loud sound detected by either the wearable component 20 orthe base station 40 and/or if the wearable component 20 indicates a highrate of activity for the dog, then the wearable components can create aclicking sound to discourage the dog from barking or to calm to dog. Ifthe dog is trained to stay within an electronic fence, then a magnometercan be included as a monitoring module 24 on the wearable component 20and when the magnometer indicates that the dog has reached the fence,the wearable component 20 can create a clicking sound to encourage thedog to stay back from the fence and return to the designated area.

In another example, if the dog is trained to respond to verbal commands,then one of the interaction modules within the wearable component 20 orthe base station 40 can include a speaker that can reproduce verbalcommands. Then, if the dog runs away (e.g., the system enters alone awaystate 220), excessively barks (e.g., as detected by microphones ineither the wearable component 20 or the base station 40), or exhibits anunusually high rate of activity (e.g., as detected by a heart ratemonitoring module on wearable component 20), then the wearable component20 of base station 40 can issue a verbal command automatically.

Yet another purpose of the system is to provide feedback to the userregarding the animal's health and activity. For example, a user maycreate a profile for the animal to be monitored that includesinformation relating to the animal, such as the age, breed, body type,size, and gender. In addition, the system can monitor the data collectedabout the animal over time and determine what are the normal expectedranges of such collected data and include those ranges in the animal'sprofile. The system can then use the data collected from the monitoringmodules and use the information in the animal's profile to providefeedback to the user. Such feedback may relate to the energy the animalhas expended, the animal's energy intake or the animal's weight.

The above description and drawings are only to be consideredillustrative of specific embodiments, which achieve the features andadvantages described herein. Modifications and substitutions to specificprocess conditions can be made. Accordingly, the embodiments in thispatent document are not considered as being limited by the foregoingdescription and drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. An animal collar system for monitoring an animal,the animal collar system comprising: a user device associated with auser; a base station; and an animal collar device comprising at leastone monitoring component configured to collect data about the animal, atleast one communication component configured to communicate the dataabout the animal to said base station and said user device, a batterycoupled to said at least one monitoring component and said at least onecommunication component, and a processor coupled to said battery andconfigured to determine whether said at least one communicationcomponent is connected to at least one of said base station and saiduser device to provide a location of the animal relative to said basestation and said user device, based upon the location of the animal,cause the animal collar device to enter one of a plurality ofcommunication states, the plurality of communication states comprisingan away alone state when not connected to said base station and saiduser device, and a home alone state when connected to said base stationand not connected to said user device, and when in the away alone state,cause said at least one communication component to transmit the dataabout the animal via an external network.
 2. The animal collar system ofclaim 1, wherein said at least one monitoring component includes atleast one of a first thermometer configured to measure a temperature ofthe animal, a second thermometer configured to measure an externaltemperature around the animal, an accelerometer, a heart rate sensor, amoisture sensor and a magnetometer.
 3. The animal collar system of claim2, wherein said processor is configured to generate threshold ranges forthe data about the animal based upon values of the data about the animalover time.
 4. The animal collar system of claim 1, wherein said animalcollar device comprises at least one interaction component configured tointeract with the animal based upon user input.
 5. The animal collarsystem of claim 4, wherein said at least one interaction component isconfigured to interact with the animal in response to the data about theanimal.
 6. The animal collar system of claim 4, wherein said at leastone interaction component includes at least one of a speaker, avibrational motor, a light, or a laser.
 7. The animal collar system ofclaim 4, wherein said at least one interaction component is configuredto interact with the animal based upon the location of the animalrelative to said base station.
 8. The animal collar system of claim 1,wherein said at least one communication component includes at least oneof a global positioning system (GPS) radio, a cellular transceiver, aBluetooth transceiver, and a Wi-Fi transceiver.
 9. The animal collarsystem of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to selectivelyenable and disable said at least one monitoring component based upon thelocation of the animal relative to said base station.
 10. The animalcollar system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured toselectively enable and disable said at least one communication componentbased upon the location of the animal relative to said base station. 11.The animal collar system of claim 1, wherein said processor isconfigured to process at least one of the data about the animal and thelocation of the animal relative to said base station based upon apredefined threshold and a logic combination.
 12. The animal collarsystem of claim 11, wherein said processor is configured to notify theuser of an event correlated with the predefined threshold and the logiccombination.